Method of printing music



Feb. 24, 1931. .1. L. LE NOUVEL ET AL 1,793,742

METHOD OF PRINTING MUSIC Original Filed July 15, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1931- J. L. LENOUVEL ET AL 1,793,742

METHOD OF PRINTING MUSIC Original Filed July 15, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 24, 1931 UNlTED STATES PATENT QFECE JULES LUCIEN LENOUVEL AND PIERRE GHAPSAL, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOBS TO MAGNETYP S. .A., OF COLOGNY, S NITZERLAND, A CORPORATION OF SWITZERLAND METHOD OF PRINTING MUSIC Original application filed July 15, 1927, Serial No. 206,041, and in France February 25, 1927. Divided and this application filed June 10, 1929. Serial No. 369,691.

Our invention relates to a method of printing music in an apparatus of the type disclosed and claimed in our copending application Serial No. 206,041, iilcd July 15, 1927, now Patent No. 1,726,110, August 27, 1929 of which the present application is a division.

According to the said copending application the music is composed upon a magnetic or electro-magnetic table carrying lines analogous to musical staves on an enlarged scale in connection with small type pieces of magnetic metal having the form of the usual characters, on the same enlarged scale as the staves. Upon the said type pieces is applied a sheet of paper carrying the musical staves corresponding to the ones formed on the table, and thus the composed music can be printed upon the sheet. According to our present method of printing a negative of reduced size is obtained by photography from said sheet, which is reproduced by any of the well known methods in the art.

Only such parts of the apparatus will be hereinafter disclosed as have a direct bearing on our method, reference being had to our copending application for details which do not come within the scope of the present application.

In the apparatus of the type referred to the printing paper travels from a feeding reel placed at one side of the magnetic table, through a pair of actuating rollers disposed at the other side of the said table. The paper is preferably applied upon the said table by means of a vertically movable plate, and it is then drawn forward at the end of the operation and passes over an inking roller by means of which the staves are printed upon the paper.

The electro-magnetic table is arranged to be horizontally slidable so that it may be brought from under the said printing plate and thus become disengaged during the composition.

The lines upon the said table are formed by cords which are stretched from one end to the other, and the type pieces have suitable notches formed on the underside by which theymay be disposed upon the said cords, so

that they may be readily placed in the proper position.

According to our present method, the printed sheetafter leaving the machine is finished or corrected by employing an air brush in connection with suitable stencils in order to form upon the said sheet all the musical characters or signs which may be necessary, such as slurs, braces, ties for quavers, or the like. Any errors in the notes or other parts are preferably corrected by pasting upon the faulty portion, a piece of paper carrying the correct notes, and this correction is quite visible when the sheet is subsequently reduced by photographic means.

Further objects of our present invention will be obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and illustrating the general features of our apparatus in connection with which our method is used.

In the drawing Fig. lis a general elevational view of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line AA of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine, with the electro-magnetic table moved to the front of the printing plate.

Referringto the drawingmore in detaihour apparatus comprises a horizontal table whose width is about twice the width of the electromagnetic plate or type carriage A which is mounted upon the same by means of the rollers 2 adapted to travel upon the rails 33 under the action of a hand wheel at which drives by means of bevel gearing, shaft 5 to which are keyed the pinions 6 coacting with the. racks 9.

The magnetic table A consists of a cast iron plate 7 of rectangular form surrounded by a flanged portion 7 a of flat shape upon which is disposed the coil of conducting wire 8. The said coil carries a current which is preferably regulated by a rheostat (not shown) thus energizing the whole surface of the plate 7 forming the core of the electro-magnet. Above the plate 7 is disposed a steel plate 10 into which are inserted, according to a set of longitudinal lines corresponding to the lines tain the 11 v upon tllC said l Across the said ibl are stretched from one parallel pos" he, the en n k I -end to the other various sets of cords 1 1- in on w ch are optionally metalef the cords being wound upon Each set of cords I s of live cords 1 correspondot the stall. 'en the die slaves are disposed other cords 14 to receive and iliC in proper position p 1: pieces corresponding to the notes between the lines, said cords being o l a different color so as: to avoid any confusion with the lines of the staff.

At the sides of the table A are d' bars having the same height or thickas the type pieces set up on said table, aid bars ser ring to limit the descent of the ilaten, thus preventing any damage to the ype pieces.

Above the main table or base 1 is disposed, over one-half the width thereof, a frame comprising two vertical uprights 18 and a horizontal cro s-piece 19, which supports the type box 20 which also upon a cross-piece 21 connecting the said uprights. Tl

rue said type box contains the different pieces of type for composing the music. A screw provided with weighted arms is engaged in a nut mounted on the cross-piece l9 and it controls the upward and downward motion of a platen which is vertically slidable between the uprights 18. The said platen has the same width as the table A, and its lower side is faced with a. felt member which is secured at one end a to one side of the platen while its other end is wound upon a s1 uare shaft 26, held by pawls 16, whereby the said felt member may be more or less stretched.

On one side of the said frame is disposed, upon a suitable support, a roll of paper 27 which has the sane width as the table it. The paper band 28 travels over the whole length of the table and is enga ed between two drums 29 30 mounted at the'other end of the frame. The drum 36 may be rotated as desired by a suitable meciianism, and the paper band is finally wound upon a reel 31. Two pairs of rollers 28 at each end ar en ploye d to hold the paper and to stretch it be low the plate, and the said rollers are pressed together by means of an eccentric.

Upon the cylinder 29 are formed sets of live annular projecting parts of flanges 38 "with sharp --edges "which make Contact with the paper wound on the drum 30. Said flanges are also in contact with the inking rollers 82-3l which operate in an ink vessel 35, and the said rollers thus print upon the paper various parallel lines corresponding to the musical staves.

The operation of our apparatus is as follows:

To set up the music, the hand wheel 4; is used to bring the type-carriage A as near as possibl to the front edge of the table 1, and

the magnetic flux is so regulated as to pro-.

duce onl a slight adhesion of the typepicces, so that they may be readily put in place. The music may be set up even without energizing the electro-magnet, and the type characters will remain in place upon the table. The work set up as above mentioned by placing the type characters upon the cords .llwhich form the lines of the stall. .Vhen the piece has been completed the strength of L, and hence the adhesion of the type, is increi-iscd. The type is inked, and the type carriage fl is brought below the platen The paper band 28 being engaged between the rollers 28 is stretched thereby and the platen 2%; is lowered by means of the screw Due to the use of the felt pad and the slight amount of slack resulting from the free unwinding of the reel 27, the notes will be printed instantaneously in a perfect manner. The platen 2st is then raised, and the rollers 29 and are rotated so as to draw forward the paper a distance equal to the printing thereon, and the flanges 33 then print the lines of the stall as the paper travels forward.

The printed band of paper is then cut oil and the electric circuit is broken in order to remove the type characters which are employee. for other pieces of work.

One advantage which is obtained with our said apparatus resides in the fact that the work may be corrected in a very simple manner, for in methods known in the art of printing music it is a long and complicated matter to make such corrections.

According to our method, on the large size printed sheet obtained from the machine hereinbefore described we make all the desired correctionsby pasting upon any faulty notes or like characters. suitable pieces of paper containingthe corrected characters, and since we subsequently photograph the said sheet on a reduced scale, such corrections will appear quite satisfactory and invisible.

When the sheet is removed from the printing machine, certain signs or parts may be lacking, such as:slurs,braces, ties for quavers, or the like, which are ditlicult to form in type by reason of their variable size so that these will be wanting in the printed sheet. These corrections may be readily made on the sheet, according to our'method, after the sheet has left the 'press, by means of an airbrush and suitable stencils.

Our method of printing likewise contemplates setting up )lGCPS of music together with the words, or by printing or otherwise forming the words by a separate process and then pasting the same upon the sheet of music before it is photographed.

Haring destribed our invention what we claim new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method oi printing music Which comprises, printing the musical characters on a plain sheet of paper to an enlarged scale, super-posing the staff lines on said characters to a corresponding scale subsequent to said printing operation, supplying the signs which are difiicult to print due to their varying sizes by means of an air brush and stencils to the said corresponding scale, and subsequently photographically reducing the sheet 01 music thus obtained to the size required.

2. The method of printing music Which comprises, printing the musical characters on. a plain sheet of paper to an enlarged scale, superposing the staff lines on said characters to a corresponding scale subsequent to said printing operation, correcting errors by pasting strips of paper on said printed paper containing the desired corrected characters and subsequently photographically reducing the sheet of music thus obtained to the size required.

3. The method of printing music which comprises, printing the musical characters on a plain sheet of paper to an enlarged scale, supe posing the staff lines on said characters to a corresponding scale subsequent to said printing operation, supplying the signs which are diflicult to print due to their Varying sizes by means of an air brush and stenoils to the said corresponding scale, correcting errors by pasting strips of paper on said printed paper containing the desired corrected characters, and subsequently photographically reducing the sheet of music thus obtained to the size required.

4;. The method of printing music which comprises, printing the musical characters on a plain sheet of paper to an enlarged scale, superposing the staff lines on said characters to a corresponding scale subsequent to said printing operation, correcting errors by pasting strips of paper on said printed paper containing the desired corrected characters, pasting the words of said music on said printed paper by pasting the paper containing them thereon and subsequently photographically reducing the sheet of music thus obtained to the size required.

5. The method of printing music which comprises, prinitng the musical characters on a plain sheet of paper to an enlarged scale, superposing the staff lines on said characters to a corresponding scale subsequent to said printing operation, supplying the signs which are dir'iicult to print due to their Varying sizes by means of an air brush and stencils to said corresponding scale, pasting the words of said music on said printed paper by pasting the paper containing them thereon and subsequently photographically reducing the sheet of music thus obtained to the size required. 1

6. The method of printing music which comprises, printing the musical characters on a plain sheet of paper to an enlarged scale, superposing the staff lines on said characters to a corresponding scale subsequent to said printing operation, correcting errors by pastin strips of paper on said printed pa per containing the desired corrected characters, supplying the signs which are difiicult to print due to their varying sizes by means of an airbrush and stencils to said'correspending scale, pasting the Words of said music on said printed paper by pasting the paper containing them thereon and subsequently photographically reducing the sheet of music thus obtained to the size required.

In testimony whereof We have signed this specification.

JULES LUCIEN LENOUVEL. PIERRE CHAPSAL. 

